CONNACHT SCHOOLS' SENIOR CUP FINAL Coláiste Iognáid 10 Marist, Athlone 7COLÁISTE IOGNÁID claimed this season's Connacht schools double when overcoming a gutsy Marist Athlone in the Connacht Schools' Senior Cup final yesterday.
Favourites to claim their 10th cup crown, the Jes were forced to absorb a 35-minute pounding from the Athlone College in a highly competitive decider that lived up to expectations.
The two strongest school sides in the province went head-to-head with the Jes enjoying a comfortable opening half, but Marist turned the tables in the second half, wrested control, and had the Jes clinging on right up until the end. In the end their well organised defence stood firm to ensure they bagged their fourth cup in six years, while Marist lacked the necessary finishing power.
The Jes appeared to be well on their way by half-time, having built up a 10-0 lead against the wind. Their dominance was reflected in their stranglehold on possession against a Marist that looked far from comfortable with the wind at their backs.
The Jes opened the scoring on 10 minutes with a try from lock Evin Keane. Scrumhalf Shane O'Meara did the damage with a superb break from the 10-metre line, and he found Keane with a long skip pass on the right wing that sent him cantering home.
The Marist, although struggling in the lineout where the Jes openside Eoin McKeon was a constant menace, did get their opportunities in a 10-minute spell. But on both occasions they opted for goal when a more prudent option would have been a kick for touch. Although captain and outhalf Adam Kennedy had the accuracy, the distance proved too much.
Instead the powerful backrow/halfback axis from the Jes continued to drive them forward. Two penalties in quick succession proved fruitful, particularly with hooker Evan Shaughnessy having no difficulty finding both lock Fergus Moyles and flanker McKeon in the lineouts. It was from a lineout that the Jes trundled forward, and although they were stopped just short, Moyles had the power to bulldoze over for a second try after 24 minutes.
In the second half Marist dug deep and wrested total control of the proceedings. Eventually their pressure was rewarded seven minutes from full-time when they broke through for a try. The pack had done all the hard work with David Henshaw and Callinan battering the line, but eventually it was scrumhalf Mark Dolan who squeezed over, with Kennedy adding the extras.
It set up a grandstand finish as Marist continued to put the squeeze on the Jes, particularly in the scrums, but once again the Galway city school stole a vital lineout just metres from the line to end Marist's hopes of a long-awaited senior cup win.
COLÁISTE IOGNÁID: C Murphy; K Russell, C Conroy, E Griffin, F Gormley (capt); S O'Meara, D Clifford; S Kelly, E Shaughnessy, N O Maolain, E Keane, F Moyles, A Conneely, E McKeon, S Conneely. Replacement: D Phelan for Keane (41m).
MARIST, ATHLONE: D Fagan; C Worley, B Henshaw, E Slevin, K Naughton; A Kennedy, M Dolan; D Henshaw, D Burns, L Callinan, C McManus, L Doran, D Kelly, R Reid, B Fagan. Replacements: K Grehan for Burns (temporary 28-35m), S Feeney for OMaolain (38m).
Referee: Damien Eames (IRFU)
